Happy SinterKlaas!

I love Christmas! I love the snow (as long as I don't have to go out in it!) I love the lights. I love the songs. I love the feeling and spirit. I love Christmas. My family has so many traditions surrounding Christmas. One of them is celebrating SinterKlaas Day. My Dad served an LDS mission to the Netherlands (Holland.) He brought home several cultural traditions that our family enjoys. SinterKlaas is the Dutch Santa Claus. He comes on a white horse from Spain with his helper Zwarte Piet (Black Pete). The children all put their wooden shoes out and sing songs the night of December 5th and when they wake, if they've been good, they find chocolate in their shoes! (If they've been bad they either find coal in their shoes or they are taken away with Zwarte Piet to work with him all year in Africa.) My parents have made many trips to Holland through the years, and consequently, all of us kids have our own wooden shoes to put out. We sing our Dutch Christmas songs up the chimney and in the morning we find a chocolate letter! (Our initial if SinterKlaas was on the ball, if not, then a random letter that my Mom then tries to explain with hilarious and random reasons! Sometimes it's more fun if SinterKlaas wasn't on the ball just to hear Mom's explanations of why he chose that letter!) SinterKlaas also brings us a new nutcracker every year. (You should see our collection! My students love counting them and I think the most popular number they've come up with this year is 43.) This year, we're celebrating a bit late. SinterKlaas found out that my Dad was of town, so he didn't rush over from Holland to visit us. However, we've been told that he has made his way to the Americas and now that Dad is home, we'll be pulling out our wooden shoes tonight! Hooray for European Chocolate!

On a slightly random note, I'm sitting here with my morning juice, in my nightgown, freezing! I'm so thankful for hot, steamy showers and Christmas music to blast to help me get started on my day! The water pressure rinsing shampoo out of my hair is a relaxing head massage, the heat helps my muscles unclench, the steam helps me breath better (I've been sick), and the Christmas music just makes me happy. What a way to wake up!